I really liked this track. As I mentioned before, the opening of the song reminds me a bit of Agalloch, although that impression is dispelled later on when the riff and vocals come in. Both are still great, however. The harsh vocals are really nice, as is the instrumental section near the end, which seems like an actual composed instrumental section, rather than just solos. I don't really have any complaints about this song. Very nice, definitely interested in checking out more of their stuff.

Sacul - David Maxim Micic - Wrinkle Maze - 7 points

I've heard of this group or artist (not sure which) before, but this marks the first time I've heard any of their/his music. To be honest, it's not quite what I was expecting. I'm actually not even sure what kind of music this is. It's instrumental, it's slow building, it's quite beautiful at times. I suppose it might be post-rock, but even that doesn't seem to quite fit. Whatever it is, though, I really enjoyed it. Thanks for this one.

adace - Alcest - Autre Temps - 8 points

I've heard a bit of Alcest before, but never listened to them extensively. I suppose I should rectify this, if this song is any indicator of quality. It's beautiful, calming and ethereal. I don't really have that much to say about this one, other than that's it was really good.

Nekov - Subsignal - My Sanctuary - 7 points

I've heard of Subsignal before, but never taken the time to actually check them out. This song surprised me with a great, major-sounding guitar riff, and the rest of the song maintained that positive vibe. The singer has a really great voice, although I don't particularly for the harmony parts, I prefer the sections where it's just one layer of his voice by itself. The best part of the song for me, though, is the guitar solo, which is absolutely amazing, though I wish it was a bit longer. So yeah, I liked this one.

senecadawg2 - Iron Maiden - Hallowed Be Thy Name - 5 points

There is a reason Iron Maiden wasn't on my banned artists list. Despite their status in the world of metal, I've really just never cared for Maiden. This song, unfortunately, wasn't much of an exception. The guitar work is pretty cool, but I've really never been big on Bruce as a vocalist, and I don't find the melodies all that interesting. I feel bad for this, since I know a lot of people really love Maiden, but I just ca'nt get into them. Sorry.

bl5150 - Conception - Roll The Fire - 7 points

Man, Tore Østby is awesome. It's a shame he doesn't do much these days. His guitar work is fantastic as usual here, though I suppose the real standout is Khan. It's interesting to hear him in this context, he seems a less restrained than he was with Kamelot; he hits some pretty high notes here. I suppose my only complaint about the song is that, despite Khan's greatness, a few of the melodies don't sit very well with me. Still, it's a minor complaint, as this was a great song.

Lucien - Shostakovich - Symphony No. 5 Finale - 8 points

I wasn't entirely sure what to expect from this initially, as I don't listen to a whole lot of classical music. I really enjoyed this piece, though. The near manic pace of the beginning is a perfect contrast to the slower ending. I can't really compare it to anything else, because as I said I don't know a lot of classical stuff, but I definitely enjoyed this one.

I think this is the only submission where I had never even heard of the group prior to this. This song was really amazing, I've never really heard anything else quite like it. As you said, the guitar layering is fantastic, and really adds a lot to the song. I can see some people being rubbed the wrong way by the vocals, but I think they're fantastic and suit the song perfectly. I don't really have much else to say here, except that I'll definitely be checking out more of their music.

Bolsters - CHVRCHES - The Mother We Share - 10 points

Oddly enough, I'd heard the name before, but just assumed they were some black metal type thing (the kvlt-y spelling is what caused that ). What this song turned out to be, though, is a fantastic, catchy synthpop track. I really don't have much to say here; the song is perfect, the instrumentation is perfect, the singer is perfect, the whole thing is just great. Send me more stuff like this.

Onno - Leprous - Forced Entry - 8 points

Leprous have been recommended to me on multiple occasions, but for whatever reason I've never gotten around to checking them out. They remind of Haken a little bit, in that they put their own twist on the usual progressive metal mold. I really enjoy the vocalist (not sure if it's the same guy doing clean and harsh?) and the instrumentation is fantastic as well. I'm sure I'll be checking them out more in the future.

Thank you! Frankly, I was shocked. I mean, I get it- different strokes for different folks. But still... In my experience it seems like most folks enjoy the song a little bit even when they aren't IM fans.

Then again, the fact that it wasn't on the banned artist list is pretty telling. I just figured maybe he hadn't ever checked them out seriously, like myself up until a couple years ago. Oh well

I'm pretty sure this song wins the "coolest song title" for this round. Unfortunately that award doesn't actually exist. Alas. Regardless, this is a fantastic song. Perhaps it's because I already know the song is nautically themed, but a lot of the thundering riffs remind of the raging ocean. Also, you were right about the lyrics, they're really fantastic. Harsh vocals are usually used in an angry sort of context, but I always find it interesting when people manage to utilize them for different purposes, like here, where they instead sound mournful in a way. Good submission.

Sacul - Infected Mushroom - Becoming Insane - 9 points

Holy crap man. Holy crap. It's like you're in my head. This song was basically written for me. Weird, trance-style stuff with Latin guitar randomly interspersed? Incredible. This song probably had me banging my head more than any other this round, and it's just so darn fun to listen to. The vocals I really liked as well; as odd as they were, they really fit the song.

adace - Mono (Japan) - Dream Odyssey - 10 points

I'm a fan of post-rock, though I'm not familiar with many bands in the genre other than the obvious ones (I'm assuming this is considered post-rock). I don't know that I've ever heard of this band before, and certainly that is my loss. This song is incredible. It's a beautiful, slow-building masterpiece. Also, the video really suits the song well, as it does give that feeling of drifting away in space. The climax of the song is pretty much the greatest thing ever. So yeah, I liked it.

Nekov - Pagan’s Mind - God’s Equation - 6 points

This is some pretty good prog metal. The riffs are good, the drums are good, and the song’s perfectly good, but I suppose I’ve heard too much prog metal for a band to impress me without having something really unique about them. The singer is really good, though, I really enjoyed both his performance and the melodies.

senecadawg2 - Kayo Dot - The Manifold Curiosity - 8 points

Yeah, this one’s definitely more to my taste. I think I listened to Choirs Of The Eye once, but I don’t really remember it, so I figured this was all right. The song is definitely strange, but I expected that considering that it came from Toby Driver. I’ve heard Kayo Dot described as sort of “maudlin without the metal”, and this song seems to back that up. I really love the saxophone/clarinet/whatever it is bits as well. I actually really don’t know what to say about this one except that I really liked it.

bl5150 - Joe Satriani - The Forgotten (Part Two) - 7 points

I’ve never checked out any of Joe’s stuff, because I usually expect guitar albums to be the typical “guitar hero” kind of stuff. I suppose there’s a bit of that here, but he mostly seems focused with great sound and melody rather than just showing off. I do tend to prefer instrumental that more “composed”, rather than just a backing band with the guitarist soloing, but this was honestly quite good, and definitely exceeded my expectations.

Lucien - The Enid - Tripping The Light Fantastic - 7 points

I’ve never done drugs, but somehow I think if I did, this is what it would be like. This is definitely unique, I’ve never really heard anything quite like it. I really enjoy all the different sounds and instruments used (or maybe it’s just a synthesizer? I can’t tell). I guess my only problem with the song is that I don’t imagine I’d always be in the mood to listen to this kind of thing.

LieLowTheWantedMan - Massive Attack - Teardrop - 8 points

Oddly enough, I thought I’d heard this song before, since a bit of it is ostensibly used as the theme song on the show House. As it turns out, however, due to some copyright thing, the song they play on Netflix is something different, so I actually haven’t heard any of this one before. I really liked the song. I’ve being more into trip-hop and related stuff lately, so this was right up my alley. I don’t really have much else to say here, but good choice.

Bolsters - The Naked And Famous - I Kill Giants - 8 points

This one isn’t quite as good as your last submission, but that’s ok since expectations were impossibly high. I really enjoyed this song. I love the singer’s voice, and the whole thing has a great, dreamy sort of atmosphere about it. I’m not really sure what’s going on in the video but it was still enjoyable to watch. Great submission.

Onno - Shining - Fish Eye - 8 points

I’ve heard a bit of Shining, but I’ve never heard this particular song. The first thing I noticed the drum sound, which is huge and fantastic. Then the song turns into… I have no idea what, but it’s amazing. The band is like a black metal/jazz/electronic/experimental something or other, and it’s fantastic. I especially love the unusual-ness of the vocals. Excellent submission.